NBA Player News

Edwards notched 27 points (8-17 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Edwards bounced back from an ugly outing in Game 5 and led Minnesota in scoring in this pivotal matchup, as he looked far more aggressive than during his previous appearance. Edwards deserves credit for his constant off-the-ball movement as well, as his movements on the perimeter, coupled with the return of Mike Conley from a one-game absence, made things very difficult for Denver on defense. This was Edwards' fourth game with at least 25 points in the series, and he's expected to operate as Minnesota's primary offensive weapon in Sunday's do-or-die Game 7 at Ball Arena.

McDaniels notched 21 points (8-10 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal over 30 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

McDaniels is not known for his scoring ability and often gets recognition for his defensive work. Still, he stood out when it mattered the most in this series and finished as Minnesota's second-highest scorer. McDaniels is not expected to hover around the 20-point mark regularly going forward, but this was an excellent showing in a game during which his team needed him to step up. In fact, this was McDaniels' second-best scoring output in the current playoff run, as he scored 25 points in the Game 2 win over the Suns in the first round.

Towns finished Thursday's 115-70 victory over Denver in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds and five assists across 29 minutes.

Towns had a couple of clutch buckets in the early stages of the game, but for the most part, he took a backseat in the scoring column as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels carried Minnesota offensively in this win. The Timberwolves need Towns to be at his best if they want to have a shot at winning a complicated Game 7 on the road, and for that to happen, he'll need to be even more aggressive on the offensive end of the court, an area in which he hasn't been consistent throughout the series. Towns has reached the 20-point mark in four of the six games he's played in the semis, and the Timberwolves have gone 3-1 in those contests.

Jokic contributed 22 points (9-19 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds and two assists across 36 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Jokic delivered one of the best performances of his playoff career in Game 5 of the series, but he was unable to repeat those numbers in this woeful loss despite a respectable stat line. Jokic shot under 50 percent from the field for the third time in the series, and the Nuggets have lost every time that has happened. While the entire Nuggets offense must perform better in a do-or-die Game 7 contest on Sunday, Jokic will be the one who sets the tone early on.

Gordon recorded 12 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 28 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 loss to Minnesota in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

The entire Nuggets offense struggled in this game, as shown by the fact the team shot 30.2 percent from the field and 19.4 percent from three-point range in this Game 6 loss. Despite the collective struggles, Gordon found a way to make an impact with his two-way play, and he was also one of just three Denver players who scored in double digits in this loss. Gordon has been arguably the second-best player for Denver in this series, and he'll aim to deliver another strong showing in Game 7 at home on Sunday.

Murray recorded 10 points (4-18 FG, 2-7 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and one steal over 33 minutes during Thursday's 115-70 loss to Minnesota in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Murray had been the catalyst of the Nuggets offense during this series, but he struggled massively Thursday, though the entire team looked overmatched from start to finish. There's no doubt the offense runs through Nikola Jokic, but it's also not a secret that Denver tends to struggle heavily when Murray is not at his best, and that has been the case in each of the three losses the Nuggets have suffered in this series. Murray will aim to bounce back in Sunday's Game 7, as the Nuggets need him at his best to avoid a monumental upset and keep their hopes of a title defense alive.

Alexander-Walker will move to the bench for Thursday's Game 6 versus Denver.

This is an expected move with Mike Conley back from his injury. Alexander-Walker fared well in his spot start in Game 5, producing 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 39 minutes.

Murray (calf) is available for Thursday's Game 6 against Minnesota.

Murray has been playing through questionable tags for the duration of this series, so this news isn't a surprise. There's no word of any restrictions ahead of tipoff.

Conley (Achilles) will play in Game 6 against the Nuggets on Thursday, head coach Chris Finch told Jack Borman of SB Nation.

Finch also said the Wolves will be "mindful" of Conley's minutes after he missed Game 5 with an Achilles injury. Still, the veteran floor general will be out there in what could be the last game of the season for a Minnesota team that has lost three in a row against the defending champions. Conley is averaging 11.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game during the current postseason run, and even though he'll have his minutes monitored, it would be shocking if he's not part of the starting lineup.

Anunoby (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's Game 6 versus Indiana, Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reports.

As expected, Anunoby will not be available for Game 6, and considering he's still been limited to light on-court work, it's unlikely he'd be available for Game 7 if one is required. Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa and Alec Burks will help pick up the slack in Anunoby's absence.